What If?
by MadelynFrost
Summary: Ground Zero is the number one hero. No one would deny that. No hero came close to him in status or achievements. Bakugo Katsuki, though, was a lonely old man full of endless regrets. But what will he do when his deepest regret comes knocking at his door? When his son comes barging back into his life after fifteen years, is there any hope of redemption for Bakugo Katsuki?
1. The Beginning

Ground Zero was the number one hero, the best of the best. He kicked ass daily; that was his job and he was good at it. He was far and above better than any other hero in the top ten- in the top three! Everyone recognized his success and greatness, and anyone who thought otherwise was a fool.

That was Ground Zero, the number one hero.

Bakugo Katsuki, however, was a tired, lonely old man. He lived in a small apartment with nobody else. He had a girlfriend for some years, but Cami didn't want anything other than his body, and sadly, his body got old. Eventually he stopped dating her. She didn't want commitment. She didn't want a family. And Bakugo didn't need that either- got it?! He was just fine on his own! Who'd want to be in his family anyways? Nobody. He knew the truth. He knew it so well that he had made some... hard decisions in the past. But he was doing just fine, see?! He was just fine.

At least he was doing better than some of the others.

He could be strong for them. He wasn't weak. He'd be the number one hero for them. Even if the work was hard and he was getting old. Forty-one doesn't seem like an old man for most people, but when you literally go out and beat people up over and over day after day, it was exhausting.

And what was he even doing this for anymore?

Right. His friends. He'd do it for them.

Bakugo sat on his couch. Alone. We wore his hero gear (he rarely took it off) and watched the depressing news. Quickly turning off the TV he sighed and threw the remote off to the side. When he felt like this, when he felt this overwhelming loneliness, the only thing that could cheer him up was crushing his enemies. So he opened his window and blasted away, the scorch marks proof of him doing that many, many times before.

"Oh my! Look! Ground Zero!" Some extras gasped as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

"Damn extras..." he growled and kept on going, not giving them any mind. They always gawked at him while he patrolled. Not surprising, since he was the number one hero. Even if he didn't recognize the title himself. Katsuki knew who he truly was.

Bakugo Katsuki was no hero. No matter what the rest of the damn world says.

He stopped running and sighed, looking around the dingy part of town. There was not one sane looking person in this corner of the streets. But something caught his eye.

Some punk-ass teenager.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Bakugo mumbled under his breath as he watched from above. It was a Tuesday, so no fifteen-year-old should be out here in the middle of the day. And this kid looked... shifty. Katsuki had seen the type before. It was only a matter of time before that punk did something.

"I'm keeping an eye on you." Bakugo whispered as he crouched down, kneeling on the rooftop. He was only sort of keeping an eye on that kid as he turned the corner. Katsuki was also looking out for real danger, so that teen really wasn't on the forefront of his mind.

That is, until a scream caught his attention.

"My purse! My money! Somebody!" An older woman screamed. Bakugo turned back around and sighed. His instincts were never wrong.

The kid was running off with the purse with an impressive amount of speed.

"Shit. Well, time to throw another punk in juvie..." Katsuki cracked his neck and blasted into the air.

The teenager looked behind himself as he ran, quickly ducking behind a corner and catching his breath. He opened the purse and took a wad of cash out of the wallet, throwing the rest behind himself.

"That should be enough..." the kid sighed, pinching his sharp eyes together. Pulling his hood once more over his head, he shifted around, looking for any sign of him being caught. Nothing. Phew! He was in the clear!

At least that's what he thought, until a shadow blotted out the sun. It only took a second for him to realize that the thing hurdling towards him was a hero!

"Gyah!" He stumbled into a sprint, running away from the crashing projectile. Looking behind himself as he ran he gasped.

Out of the sizzling, steaming alleyway ran Ground Zero.

The literal number one hero was after him!

"Shit!" The teen coughed and kept running. He was tempted to use his quirk- to fight back! But he didn't really want to hurt anyone. He didn't feel like getting caught either, though.

Bakugo zoned in on the fleeing purse-snatcher. If this kid learned his lesson now maybe he'd save him from going to real jail later. Not like Katsuki really cared, however. This thief was just another drop in the ocean of criminals Ground Zero fought off regularly.

Panting as he sprinted, the punk looked over his shoulder once more. The number one hero was right behind him...

"Shit oh shit oh shit oh shit-" he rambled off. "I can't get caught now! I still have to-"

Ground Zero landed in a thud in front of the teen.

"Going somewhere, bub?" The man snarled with a prideful, devilish smile. Bakugo half expected the kid to do a one-eighty: to try and escape the other direction. That would've only made sense for a scared shitless teen.

But no. Strangely this kid had some balls. He slid under Katsuki's wide stance, jumping up behind him.

"Huh?" Ground Zero growled as he spun around. Then, out of nowhere, a palm tree shot from the ground! It nearly stabbed him in the face! "The fuck?!" Must've been the kid's quirk. Bakugo blasted the thing away, looking for the punk. He saw him run off in between two buildings. "Thought you could run from me, huh?" Katsuki grinned an evil looking snarl and blasted away.

He came up to the alleyway- and there the teenager stood with a water balloon in his hand.

"You're gonna throw a water balloon at me? What kind of joke do you think I am?" He growled as he stomped closer. "Just surrender, punk!"

"Not yet!" The kid dashed the balloon across the ground. As soon as the liquid splattered on the concrete and brick surfaces, giant palm trees burst forth! They shot out faster than the eye could see!

Taking a step back, Ground Zero didn't waste two seconds before blasting away the quickly decaying trees. With spitfire in his eyes he lunged out!

But the thief wasn't there.

Running into the crowds at the other end of the alleyway, Bakugo sneered right and left. Not a single trace of the kid.

"Are you fucking serious right now?" Katsuki spat as he tried looking over the heads of pedestrians.

"Oh wow! Ground Zero!"

"It's Ground Zero! Can I have your autograph?"

"Me too!"

The crowds gathered in. They claustrophobicly pressed against him on all sides and he couldn't see two centimeters in front of his face. Not one clue as to where the kid went. He just disappeared. "Are you shitting me, universe?!" Bakugo shook a fist at the sky. The extras always grew uncomfortable at his profanity, but he didn't give a shit.

Ground Zero- the number one hero in all of Japan- just lost sight of some purse snatcher.

Pathetic.

The universe really did hate him.

## Bakugo's apartment

Ground Zero slammed the door shut! He threw his gauntlets and boots against the wall, cuz he was fucking angry! He was loosing his touch.

"Can't catch a fuckin' purse thief... what am I?" Katsuki groaned as he landed face-first onto his couch. He rolled over and stared at the ceiling. He didn't make a sound. Then... quietly... he spoke out loud. Spoke to nothing in particular, but he hoped it'd reach someone.

"Hey Shitty-Hair..." he mumbled quietly. "I'm not sure how the reception is up there... but if you can hear me..." he gulped dryly and rolled over.

"I feel like I fucked up somehow." He sighed sadly. Ten minutes passed and he didn't move. Then, he whispered so quietly that his own hearing aids barely registered it,

"I just wish you were here, Eijiro..."

Then, a knock sounded on his door.

"Huh?"

Bakugo never got visitors. Who the hell would be knocking on his door? Must mean they found a way past the lady at the desk downstairs. That or they broke in. But who would break in just to knock on the door? It didn't make sense.

Then the sound came once more, only a little louder. It sounded... nervous? Groaning, Bakugo stood to his sore feet and hobbled over to the door.

"Who the hell?" He mumbled as he peered through the looking hole.

No way.

Absolutely no fucking way.

It was that punk-ass purse-snatcher. Out of all the places- here?! At his own house?! How the hell? The kid on the other side of his door looked bashful and nervous. Why on earth was he here?! How did he find Bakugo?!

Katsuki was so confused.

He unlocked the door, puffing out his chest to look more intimidating.

He swung it open quickly. The kid didn't look him in the eyes for some reason. In fact, the punk had closed his eyes shut entirely. Wincing, the kid whimpered,

"Bakugo Katsuki?"

How. The fuck. Did he know his name?

"What the fuck?" Bakugo coughed. If he was confused before, he was completely lost now.

Gasping, the frozen teen tensed up. He slowly looked up at the man.

"Oh shi-" It was Ground Zero. Still in his hero gear. And he just about scared the straight piss outta the kid. The teenager turned to run, but Bakugo wasn't letting him escape this time. He snatched him back by his hoodie- nearly choking the thief as he fell back.

"What the fuck?! How'd you find my house, purse-snatcher?!" He yelled as he held the boy off the ground with one arm. The teen kicked his dangling feet in the air and held his coat as to keep himself from choking. "Get in here, punk!" Ground Zero threw the teen into his home and closed the door behind himself.

"Oh my God! Please don't send me to jail!" The panicking and sweaty teenager had eyes the size of dinner plates.

"What the hell are you doing here then?! How did you find me here?!" Bakugo demanded as he stepped closer and closer into the kid's personal space. Backing up slowly, the terrified fifteen-year-old stuttered,

"I-I wasn't trying to- oh God- the number one hero?! Really?! Outta all the people..."

"That's it. I'm turning you in, thief." Bakugo wasted no time throwing the kid over the arm of his couch and tying him up with his restraint tape. As his arms were secured behind his back and his face was smashed into the cushion, the teen mumbled into the fabric,

"No! Wait! I can explain!"

"You gonna try and tell me you didn't rob an innocent old lady?" Bakugo growled at the immobilized teen.

"..." The kid nervously bit his lip. Yeah, there was no getting out of that one.

"Mhmm. I'm turning you in."

"Wait- I- but it took me so long to get here! I can't go to jail just yet!" He panicked, pulling and wiggling against the restraints.

"Whattya mean by that?! Like- what the hell?! Who are you and how did you know my name?! Why the hell did you just show up on my doorstep?!"

"Like I did fifteen years ago?!" The kid shouted. Bakugo stopped talking. Blinking a few times, he cocked his head to the side.

"Like you... what?"

"You're Bakugo Katsuki, right? Fifteen years ago, you found a baby on your porch. That's you, right?" The teenager had a desperate look in his eyes. They stared at him. They were the same shape as his.

"Wha..." Katsuki sat down at his table and held his head with his hand. There was no way. No way on earth that punk was-

Sharp, red eyes. Platinum, poofy hair. Square jawline.

Oh fuck.

"Are you... gonna try an' tell me... that that baby was you?" Katsuki asked quietly as he rubbed his brows.

The teenager nervously nodded. His eyes looked wide and scared and a little bead of sweat dropped from his brow. Katsuki has taken a body-language class before. This punk wasn't lying.

"You aren't fucking with me, are you?" Katsuki asked the teenager. The kid didn't say anything. He just kept staring with desperation in his scared eyes. "Aw hell..." Bakugo rolled onto his feet.

Quietly, he lifted the kid up to his feet and threw him into a chair, not untying him just yet. Bakugo just sat there in front of him for a quiet moment, staring at the floor. He held his hands in front of his nose and inhaled sharply. Sheepishly, the kid spoke,

"I found the foster care papers... so I just went to the address and hoped you hadn't moved."

"..." Katsuki didn't say anything yet. What was he supposed to say? "What are you doing here?" He asked concerned. "Why did you look for me? Does your family know you're here? They're probably worried about you." Katsuki grumbled as he wiped his face.

"I don't have-" The teen sighed his anger away. "I can reassure you that no one gives a shit about me being here." He stated pointedly, scoffing at the ground. "I ran away two weeks ago. I ain't going back."

Jeez. Two weeks and no amber-alert? Being the number one hero, Bakugo got messages all the time for missing kids all over Japan. But no one told him about this punk going missing.

"Well, ya got a name?" Katsuki sighed as he stood up and walked in his kitchen, boiling some water.

"Umm... just... no." He shrugged quietly.

"Huh? Come on, kid. Didn't your adopted family give you a name or nothing? Don't think hiding it'll get you out of trouble or shit." Bakugo yelled as he poured a pot of tea.

"..." The kid stared at the ground. "I'm not sure how you aren't gathering this, but I didn't get adopted." He growled. Bakugo's eyes widened. He... wasn't counting on that...

"Oh..." he sat, placing the tea in front of the teenager. He couldn't really drink it with the restraints on and all that. "Here." Katsuki untied him, watching as the kid rubbed his wrists. Slowly, the teen reached into his back pack and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed them to Bakugo.

They were definitely the foster care papers he shakily signed all those years ago. Bakugo shook his head and pinched his eyes.

"What are you doing here, kid?" He whispered huskily. The teen just shrugged sadly.

"I'm not sure..."

Bakugo watched the posture of the kid. He seemed... lost. A posture he knew all too well.

Well, Katsuki wasn't throwing the kid in juvie just yet. He felt like he couldn't. Like he had some kind of responsibility to fulfill.

"Kid..." Bakugo sighed, getting the sheepish teenager's attention. "You reek."

"...Oh. Yeah, I haven't taken a shower in... in two weeks..." he mumbled.

Standing, Bakugo gestured with a nod to come follow. The kid blindly went along, mostly 'cause he had no idea where to go, and waited at the door to Katsuki's bedroom.

"Here." Bakugo shoved him a stack of clothes. "Take a shower." He pointed to the restrooms.

"O...kay..." Nervously, the teenager entered the bathroom. "You aren't... gonna call the police yet... are you?"

Bakugo shook his head.

"Not yet." Still unsure, the kid entered the restroom and tentatively closed the door behind him.

Katsuki sighed heavily. He never thought he'd see that kid again. Not since the day he decided to... to...

He could remember it all. It was pretty traumatic for him. He could remember that fateful day those fifteen years ago. The smell of the hospital, the sound of the fluorescent lights... the baby crying.

He really wanted what was best. He really did. He wanted the kid to have a good life and a good family.

Ironically, Bakugo really wanted to take the kid in himself.

But he couldn't do it. He just... couldn't. He was young- just twenty seven. He didn't know the mom and no- Bakugo didn't have a one night stand. He wasn't like that anyways. He passed out a lot in fights or from drinking. He had no memory her, but whoever she was... he didn't consent.

A baby just showed up on his porch, and the doctors said he was related. But the baby needed a family. Katsuki couldn't give that to him if he tried.

Bakugo shook himself out of the memories. That was fifteen years ago. He had always wondered what had happened to that kid. In fact, it ate away at his soul more than he'd like to admit. How come nobody warned him? Nobody told him that the next fifteen years he'd look at kids the same age as that baby and wonder "what if?" See kids practicing their quirks at school or playing with friends and think, maybe that's him? Or that one?

No. Nobody warned Katsuki of the emptiness he'd feel. And here he was. Alone. And utterly empty.

"Hey, um, Mr. Bakugo?" The kid snapped his thoughts back to the present.

"Oh, umm, yeah?" He asked. The showered teen walked over wearing the clothes he gave him: a skull T-shirt and black cargo shorts. They were a little baggy, but fine.

"Can I... ask you some questions?" He mumbled softly.

"Shoot." Bakugo rolled his neck, getting a few sounding pops from it.

"Why did you not want me?"

Oof. That wasn't it at all. But the angry look in the teen's eye wanted to know.

"Kid- that's not- look." Bakugo scooted his chair a bit. "It wasn't like that. I was young, I live in this crappy apartment, and I'm all alone."

"You wanted *this* more than me?" He spat, gesturing to the tiny apartment.

"No! I just- God! You know what? I hate it here. I'm tired, old, and cranky. I'm literally a piece of shit. Nobody wants to live with me, and nobody should be forced to." He cursed at the child, who seemed a little shocked.

"But..." The kid rubbed his neck. "I kinda thought with you being a hero and all-"

"You don't know me, punk." Bakugo jabbed. "I ain't a hero."

The kid looked shocked in a sadly flustered way. He looked at the table with a sad look in his eyes.

"Oh."

"..."

"..."

"Kid you gotta have a name."

"I don't have one." He sulked.

"Not even a nickname?"

"...Kids call me Otaku." He mumbled so very quietly.

"As in 'obsessive nerd'? Are all kids assholes?" Bakugo chuckled.

"Basically. Yeah." Otaku shrugged, his big ears growing red hot.

"Alright... Otaku..." Bakugo rolled his eyes at the name. "Why'd you steal that old lady's purse? You know this woulda been a whole lot easier for the both of us if you didn't." He crossed his arms sternly.

"...I was hungry." Otaku whispered. Sighing aggressively, Bakugo stomped into his kitchen and pulled out a Tupperware of homemade friend rice. Yeah, he still cooked like a pro, kay?! He poured out a bowl and tossed it aggressively into the microwave.

"I don't need you to take care of me, ya know. I already ate." Otaku crossed his arms and clenched his jaw.

"You look skinny as hell." Katsuki stated the truth. Otaku blushed annoyedly. "And eating stolen food doesn't count."

"Well how else was I s'posed to eat?!" He spat as he furrowed his brows.

"You could've, pfft- I dunno. Anything. Begged. Put a hat out an sung a song or shit." Bakugo shrugged and placed the hot bowl of rice in front of Otaku. Crossing his arms, but leaning into the warm smells of the delicious food, Otaku scoffed,

"Hell no. I don't sing."

"...Well do you eat, at least?"

"Fine." Otaku took the chopsticks and dug in. He ate it all. Rather quickly too. Like he hadn't eaten in days. Didn't he just say he ate already?

"So kid, what is your plan?" Bakugo asked gruffly.

"...Hmm?" Otaku looked up with a mouthful of food.

"You found me. Now what?"

"..." Otaku set the bowl down and swallowed. "Do you know who my mom is?" He asked sheepishly. They sat silent for a few moments.

Bakugo did not know his mom. And honestly, he was okay with that. She abused him- touched him- without him even knowing. It crawled under his skin when he thought about it too much.

But Otaku was staring at him with big eyes. If they weren't so tired he would've had a sort of softness to his features.

"...What are you doing, kid?" Katsuki looked at him with a sigh. This kid was lost. Not physically, although that was true too. No- the look in his eyes were lost. "You went searching for your parents, but why? What are you hoping to find?"

"Can you just answer the question?!" Otaku sneered and turned away, and angry blush forming on his face.

"I don't know her. And no- it wasn't some one night thing. Okay?" He sighed slowly. "...I have absolutely no idea who she is... but she didn't ask no permission, that's for sure." He said very quietly. It was still a very sensitive subject for him. Otaku's jaw dropped.

"...oh..." he flicked the rice around with his chopsticks. "I'm sorry..."

"..." Katsuki hated people's pity. "Whatever. I don't even remember it. There's not even a face I'd recognize if you did go looking. But you shouldn't."

"..." Otaku sighed sadly. Like he was disappointed in how this story ended. "I guess this is it."

"Huh?"

"Just... I don't think I should find her anymore... now that I know." He shuffled around awkwardly, rubbing his neck. "I suppose... you have to turn me in, don't you?" He sighed with an odd gloom around him.

"...It's kind of my job..." Katsuki shrugged.

"I know." Standing up and grabbing his bag, Otaku bowed. "I'm sorry for intruding. Thanks for the dinner." He started to leave.

"Wait, kid." Otaku stopped. "Where are you running to?" Bakugo asked calmly. He didn't like the off look in the kid's eyes. The hazy, lifeless eyes.

"...Nowhere."

"..." Bakugo rubbed his neck awkwardly and looked around his home. "Look, why don't you stay here tonight?"

"Here? So you can throw me in juvie tomorrow morning?" He scoffed, but not angrily. Like there was a sadness in his eyes. Like he hoped he could stay, just to have someplace to go.

"Are you going to sleep on the streets? Looks cold out there." Bakugo stated as he looked out his window. Otaku huffed a little nod.

"Yeah. I guess." He didn't have anywhere to go. Might as well have a good night's rest in a warm house before... before...

He didn't want to think about it too much.

"I'll stay."

"Okay." Bakugo and Otaku just stood around in silence a moment. "I'll, umm... grab some blankets and shit."

Otaku sat on his makeshift bed and looked up at his biological dad. Katsuki shrugged at the sight and ran his fingers through his poofy hair.

"You, um... you good?" He asked awkwardly as Otaku pulled the blankets up to his neck.

"I'm fine."

"Kay. I'll uhh... be in my room..." Katsuki slowly turned and walked away from the teen.

"Mr. Bakugo?" The kid piqued, getting Katsuki's attention. "Thanks for not being a total ass to me, I guess."

"Hmph." Bakugo huffed. "Goodnight."

Five hours had passed. Five hours, and Bakugo had not one wink of sleep. That kid out there was his kid. And he was a criminal at that. Katsuki couldn't just let him go. But throwing him in jail felt so... wrong. Like it was his fault Otaku ended up like this in the first place. Groaning, he sat up in bed. The light was still on in the living room. Quietly, he snuck out of his bedroom, not making a squeak.

The kid was asleep. Completely sprawled out on the couch. His phone and a journal of sorts sat on the coffee table besides him. Bakugo felt a little like a creep for staring at him. But he couldn't help but wonder... what if?

He shook the idea away. Then the journal caught his eye. It was opened face-down onto the table. Katsuki picked it up and read it. He could help it. He was a snooper. It read,

"Entry 136, Tuesday, March 2XXX

I found him. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I found him.  
He said it himself so I'll say it here; he's a sad lonely old man."

Jeez. This kid was kinda harsh. Bakugo pursed his lips and kept reading.

"So my mom apparently was a real bitch. And that's the nice way of saying that. So scratch part two of the plan. If what he says is true then I don't want to see her. That and I have no idea how I'd find her anyways. Since I'm skipping part two, I'll just cut to the end."

The end? Bakugo didn't like the sound of that.

"I don't like thinking about this. But... it sounds nice... escaping..."

...Escaping?

What did he mean by that?

"I'm not sure what's on the other side of things, if there is another side. Maybe I'll just start over? Either way I can't stay here. I'm broken beyond repair. Nobody wants a complete fuckup like me." God what was this kid thinking? Katsuki already had an inkling, but his couldn't tare his eyes away. "I bought a pill with the money I stole. They told me that's a quick way to go. Hurts just a bit, then nothing."

Bakugo was trembling. This kid... was going to kill himself... he was just fifteen...

"I... hate being so lost. I came all this way because I wanted to find something... but I don't even know what I am looking for."

Bakugo breathed shakily, placing the journal exactly where he found it. Carefully walking back into his room, Katsuki sat on his bed, eyes unmoving. He just sat there. An hour passed. It went by so quickly, and he still stared at the wall in front of him. Unmoving.

"..." Katsuki sighed and blinked a few times, folding his arms across his chest. He licked his lips and bit them before whispering aloud,

"Kirishima? Are you there? Are you... still with me?" Looking at the ceiling, he croaked, "I fucked up. I really fucked up and I don't know how to fix this. If you're there, can you give me an idea? Of what to do?" He squeaked.

And then, an idea came to him.

"Oh..." he looked to his open door where the living room lights poured in. To where that lost kid slept on the couch. "You always did what was right... even if it was against the rules..." he understood what he had to do.

## The next morning

Otaku woke up at his alarm at four-thirty. Groggily, he slapped it silent. He was going to get out of here before his biological dad woke up-

"Hey kid."

"Gah!" Otaku gasped as he shot upright. "What are you doing up to early?!" He asked. The hero was sitting at the dinner table in front of him, like he was waiting for him to get up.

"I've decided."

"Decided what?" Otaku was confused.

"I'm not sending you to juvie."

"...?!" Otaku cocked his head in confusion. "Why not-"

"We're going to find out who your mom is." Bakugo said with a determined look in his eyes. Something lit up in Otaku. Something inside: a purpose...

"We are? Together?" He asked, an odd expression of excitement and relief and confusion.

"Hai." Bakugo smiled. "Let's go find that bitch."


	2. Finding Clues

"Where is that fuckin-" Katsuki growled and hissed as he dug through his attic, Otaku waiting by the base of the ladder. "Aha! Thought you could hide from me, ha?" Bakugo threw down a duffle bag onto Otaku's face, shocking him slightly.

"Uh, what's this?"

"That is what I found you in." Bakugo stated as he climbed down the ladder. Otaku's jaw dropped. "You were malnourished, so whoever your mom was didn't feed you." He sighed. Otaku dragged his fingers along the inside of the bag, awed at how tiny he must have been. "Oh- and there's the note." Bakugo grunted and he pulled out a piece of paper. Otaku read it out loud.

"To Ground Zero, This is yours. Take care of it however you like. From your biggest fan. XOXO?" The handwriting was with a gel pen and artistically written. Like a freakin child. Otaku had to shake his head a little in order to take it all in.

"These are all the clues I had." Bakugo said with his arms crossed.

"That's it?" Otaku sighed sadly, looking in the bag for anything else he might find.

"No. Now we have one more."

"Huh? What's that?"

"You." Katsuki said while he crossed his arms. Otaku didn't seem to understand.

"Me?"

"What's your quirk?" Bakugo asked gruffly as he hoisted the ladder back into the attic. "As number one I have access to the quirk database whenever I need. So maybe your quirk's like hers."

"Oh. Oh!" Otaku finally got it. "I grow stuff."

"..."

"..."

"You're a real help." Bakugo sarcastically rolled his eyes.

"Well what do you want me to say? My sweat makes plants grow! Only certain plants and I'm not sure why. We didn't really have quirk discovery in the foster system." He sulked, crossing his arms.

"Really? What kinda place do they think they're running?" Bakugo was tisked at them. Whoever "they" were. "Well, let's not waste any time then."

"Huh?"

"Follow me. We're going to do some quirk discovery."

## The park

"This is childish." Otaku sulked as he sat on the lawn. "Quirk discovery? I'm fifteen, not some child." He huffed with his arms crossed.

"Then show me what you've got." Katsuki demand. Sighing and rolling his eyes, Otaku held his hand out and grew some soybeans. They popped off and kept coming, piling on the ground.

"Okay. Are we done now?" He moodily brooded.

"Do you even want to find out who your mom is?" Bakugo asked with his arms crossed. Defeatedly giving in, Otaku stuck his hands out. They pooled up with a special sweat. When he dropped it into the grass, palm trees erupted out, all spiked and serrated.

"Hmm. Okay." Bakugo nodded. "Any other plants you can grow?"

"Just the trees and those beans." Otaku looked embarrassed. "It's a lame quirk. I know. Not great for fighting or nothing."

"You seemed to have a pretty decent grasp of it earlier when you escaped me." Katsuki said with a raised brow. "And those leaves are sharp. In my opinion, I think you have a fighter's quirk." He observed aloud.

"You... you think so?"

"Hai. Let's see if I'm right." He stretched his back with a crack and a pop.

"Wait- what?!" Otaku nervously stood as Bakugo got into a fighting stance.

"Fight me!" Katsuki smiled devilishly. "Come at me with everything you've got!"

A fearful gulp was audible as Otaku weakly stood at the ready.

"Well!? Whattya waiting for?! A countdown?! Go!" Bakugo screamed from across the lawn. He started running towards the punk, his hands sizzling and popping.

"Gah!" Otaku quickly slapped the ground, seeping his sweat into the earth. Four large trees sprung out! As large as decade-old ones! Otaku rolled to the side as Bakugo crashed through these easily, his eyes excited with adrenaline. As Otaku rolled off he dragged his hands across the grass, covering his trail with sharp blades.

"You're on the defensive-" Bakugo said as he maneuvered the ground easily. "You think you can't take me on."

"I can't! You're the number one-"

"I took on a previous number one hero when I was fifteen." Bakugo grumbled.

"Did you win?!" Otaku gasped. Shrugging, Bakugo answered,

"I went unconscious for four hours. But I gave him a run for his money." With that he leapt over the palms Otaku grew, blasting away at them and sending splinters everywhere! Otaku scrambled away, panting for air. He didn't really want to get the shit beat outta him- but he wasn't going to keep running away either. Standing his ground, he spun round to meet Bakugo. But he wasn't there.

"Boo."

"Gyah!" Otaku gasped as Katsuki appeared behind him from seemingly nowhere! Bakugo swept his legs and he came crashing backwards. But before he hit the ground, Katsuki grabbed his shirt collar.

"Hmph." Bakugo grinned as he hoisted the punk up to his feet. "Alright- first things first. When fighting an opponent it is important to be grounded and balanced. To understand where you are in your space." Katsuki explained to the kid who was still processing what was going on. "When in a defensive stance, keep your feet wide and your knees bent. Wider." Katsuki kicked Otaku's foot out and straightened his back. "When you run at me, don't imagine yourself moving. Imagine you are in place and that the ground and air is moving around you. Like you are the center of the universe."

Otaku's mind was reeling as he tried to take in Bakugo's information.

"I want you to take me down. Now fight dirty and fight hard!" Katsuki screamed. The teenager stood his ground. He dashed forward. He looked a little more in control of himself. But he still couldn't land a single punch. "You're trying to punch where I am. Think about where I will be. Anticipate my movements."

Otaku thought about this a moment. He swung with his right arm, Katsuki spun round, but Otaku turned the other way and sent an elbow into his ribs!

-But Bakugo caught it!

He tossed Otaku to the ground with a tiny shove of his fingers.

"See? Now I'm anticipating you anticipating me. I saw it coming." He grinned as he approached the teen. Then suddenly, the ground under Katsuki shook. Somehow, during their fight, Otaku had taken off his shoes. The ground his feet had touched burst with life! Sharp sticks and leaves zigzagged upward in a flurry! But Bakugo had already jumped out of the way.

Otaku's jaw dropped.

"You were anticipating that?!" He said as Katsuki jumped besides him.

"Heh. You give up yet-" Bakugo spun out of the way as Otaku shot spiraling vines from his palms! Leaping back, Katsuki watched at Otaku jumped to his feet and ran at him!

"OORAH!" Otaku screamed a manly noise as he barreled down, leaping after Bakugo. But the number one hero simply sidestepped and smacked him on the head. He knew that move- it was the oldest one in the books.

"Haha! Die, Kirishima!" Bakugo cackled, reveling in the adrenaline.

Otaku went headfirst into the dirt below. Spitting out a chunk of grass, he turned up to his biological dad.

"Kirishima?" He coughed as he wiped a drip of blood from his nose.

Bakugo hurked. He... did say that name. It kinda just slipped out.

It felt like he was sparring with him all over again.

"Damn." Bakugo spat before quickly changing the subject. "Otaku- you're not complete shit, kid."

"Are you kidding me?" Otaku coughed. "I couldn't land a single hit! You anticipated my every move!"

"Heh. Gave me my money's worth." Katsuki wiped a tiny cut on his cheek. Wait- Otaku got him?! Even the tiny victory was enormous for the punk.

Holding a hand out, Katsuki lifted the scrawny teenager up to his feet once more.

"You look like shit, though." He laughed as he dusted the dirt off his chest. "You better clean yourself off before we eat lunch."

"Lunch?"

"Yeah- I'm fucking starving." Katsuki said with a stretch. "...you don't mind if I swear, right?" He asked with a cautious raise of his brow.

"I don't give a shit."

"Perfect."

## The diner

Otaku's eating manners were terrible to put it lightly. Absolutely feral was more accurate. Katsuki was almost embarrassed to be seen with him.

"Oi bub! Chew with your mouth closed, ya wild animal!" He sighed as the kid immediately clammed up, noticing the prying eyes. "Haven't ya been in a public restaurant before?" He scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

"No..."

"...Ah. That explains it." Katsuki sighed as he took a swig of coffee to wash his pills down. Cracking his neck, Bakugo groaned,

"Well, your quirk's interesting. But honestly, I'm not even sure how it's connected to mine at all. Like, I blow shit up. You grow shit. So until we can cross out how it's connected to me we ain't getting nothing off your moms. I'm at a loss here..."

Otaku gulped his orange juice loudly and brashly.

"Well, do you know anyone who can help figure this stuff out?"

"Like a doc or something?" Katsuki raised a brow. "They'd turn you in, ya know. We aren't exactly s'posed to be seen together, legally speaking".

"Maybe just someone who knows a lot about quirks. Got anybody who comes to mind?" Otaku asked as he took another bite that was too big for his mouth.

Kacchan immediately knew someone. But... he couldn't go to him... not yet...

"Mr. Bakugo?" Otaku piqued. Sighing, Bakugo set down his crappy cup of coffee.

"I do know... one guy..." he winced. "But I can't go to him."

"Why not?"

"...It's a long story." Katsuki huffed sadly. They sat a few moments in silence.

"Well... who else could we go to?" Otaku asked with a shrug. Bakugo rubbed his face with his palm.

"...No one. He's the only guy who could help us out."

With a sad look in his posture, Otaku understood what he meant.

"I guess there's no way to find out who she is, then." He mumbled softly.

Guess plan B didn't pan out either. At least he got a free lunch. But now he was just getting in the way of the number one hero.

Standing, he gave a tiny bow to Katsuki. "You don't have to keep feeding me and stuff. Thank you for... I dunno. I'll get out of your hair now." He sighed and started to walk away.

Katsuki snatched his wrist.

"Huh?" Otaku didn't understand.

"No. Wait..." Bakugo closed his eyes and slowly inhaled through his nose. "...I'll take you to him."

"R-Really?" He asked with a stutter.

"Hai. But you'll have to do the talking. I can't..." swallowing the nervousness in his throat, Bakugo sighed,

"I can't look Deku in the eyes."


	3. Old Friend

Otaku watched with wide eyes as he sat on the monorail next to his biological dad. Bakugo looked like he was about to doze off. They'd been on the train for a long time now.

"Umm... Mr. Bakugo?"

"Just call me Bakugo. I don't need that formal shit."

"Oh. Hey, Bakugo?" Otaku asked as he hugged the bag on his lap. "How far away is this friend of yours?"

"...Really fucking far." Katsuki sighed.

"When we see him, what should I say? Is he scary? What should I call him by?" Otaku nervously muttered.

"Jeez- calm down, kid. He's not scary. Although he could kill forty men with the flick of his fingers." Bakugo grumbled.

"Heh... that's funny..." Otaku laughed. But Bakugo didn't look like he was joking. "Wait- you aren't serious, are you?!"

"I'm serious." Bakugo sighed. "You know... Deku... he was the supposed to be the next number one hero."

"Oh man, are you serious? Is he mad that you took the spot from him or something? Is that why you aren't talking?" Otaku rambled nervously.

"No. He asked me to take the responsibility from him." Bakugo's hair covered his eyes. "He retired early..."

"Why?"

"And that is where you should stop asking questions." Bakugo put his foot down. "Just... don't worry. He's a nice guy."

A few hours later Bakugo and Otaku hopped off the monorail. Then they took a cab, then a train, and then another cab.

"How far away from civilization is Deku?"

"Hey! Don't you call him by that name!" Katsuki snapped hard at Otaku, making him flinch. "You call him Mr. Midoryia! And you give him your upmost respect! Pretend you have manners when you see him- I don't want to hear one cuss word leave your mouth in his presence! Got that?!" Bakugo demanded. Otaku nodded in immediate agreement. Man- what was up with that dramatic change in tone?

The taxi driver dropped them off in the middle of nowhere. No streets or nothing. Just trees.

"I don't have signal here..." Otaku fumbled with his cheap cellphone. "We aren't lost, are we?"

"...No." Bakugo went to a tree and touched the wood bark. It had old singe marks on it from many years ago. "This is the place..." Otaku did a double-take as his biological father just wondered off into the woods.

"Hey! Wait up!" He jogged after him. "You, umm... called or texted him right? To say we are here?"

"Like you said, no signal. The Midoryia's are pretty far removed. And that's just how they like it." Katsuki mumbled so very quietly as he wandered through the pathless forest. But he knew exactly where he was going.

Then they came to a clearing. Otaku saw a quaint sight: a cute cabin, with a tiny stream and a large garden and no electricity.

"What is this place?" He gaped.

"...A refuge." Bakugo simply said as he came up to the front door of the large cabin. He held his fist out to knock, but just couldn't bring himself to do it. "You knock."

"Me?! I'm not gonna do it! You do it! You know him!" Otaku backed away with a wave in his hands.

"It's better if he doesn't see me at first! You're the one doing the talking anyways!"

"But I don't know the guy! He's your acquaintance!"

"I'm not touching that fucking door-"

The door slowly opened. A figure stepped outside, staring at the two frozen wrestlers. With a strange look on his face, Izuku gasped,

"Kacchan?!"

Immediately Bakugo looked away. He couldn't look at him at all.

"Kacchan! I'm so glad to see you! I've missed you." Woah. Otaku was half expecting Mr. Midoryia to be just as cold to Bakugo as Bakugo was to him. But he seemed... happy to see him?

"Huh? Who's Kacchan?" Otaku's brow furrowed.

"Oh! Who's this?" Midoryia asked with a smile. Katsuki immediately gave Otaku a smack on the back of his head.

"Ow! What's that for?!" He hissed.

"Introduce yourself properly. You're at his house." Bakugo demanded darkly, still not looking Izuku in the eyes.

"Oh! Umm... hi. My name is Otaku. It is my pleasure to be humbled by your honorable presence, Mr. Midoryia, sir." Otaku bowed a little too lowly.

"Grr! I said show respect! Not fake it, you ass!" Katsuki yelled at the punk.

"Guys! Guys!" Izuku stepped up to the two with a smile. "You don't have to be so formal here! Come on inside!" He beamed brightly at the two. Bakugo couldn't understand it. How he could still smile brighter than the sun even with everything that had happened...

They sat on the floor at the table as Deku brought over a big pot of tea.

"Ochaco is visiting my mom and her parents right now- but she'll be back soon! You two should stay for dinner! She'd love to see you!" Midoryia laughed, his green curls bouncing around. "And did you say your name is Otaku?"

"Hai Mr. Midoryia, good sir." Otaku bowed. He didn't really take educate classes growing up, so what he was saying is what he learned in movies.

"You can call me Izuku, Otaku! Or even Deku or Midoryia or whatever feels comfortable." He chuckled. "But Otaku? As in obsessive nerd?"

"Deku? As in blockhead?" Otaku asked back snarkily. Katsuki elbowed him sharply. "Hurk! Ouch! S-sorry Mr. Midoryia."

"Ha! No no! Please don't worry about it! I took on Kacchan's nickname unironically a long time ago! Even my wife calls me that!" He sheepishly waved his hand dismissively. "So tell me- what's the situation here? Not that you need an excuse to see me, Kacchan. You know you are always welcome here."

Bakugo's eyes looked distant as he stared at the floorboards. He knew that... but he could never simply show up...

"But I am interested in your friend here! Are you a student? A successor?!" Midoryia asked with sparkles in his eyes.

"..." Katsuki nodded at Otaku. Oh that's right. He's doing all the talking.

"Oh! Umm... I'm... Bakugo's son."

Midoryia's jaw dropped.

His eyes darted between Katsuki and Otaku over and over.

"Kacchan's son?!" He exclaimed with an overwhelming smile. Immediately he shook Otaku's hand with a speed unimaginable. "Oh wow! What an honor! To think that'd I'd see you once again after all these years! You really do look like your dad! Oh wow!" Once he finally let go Otaku was still shaking up and down in his spot.

"N-Nice t-to meet-t you too..." he said back, completely frazzled. Bringing himself back, he coughed, "We came all this way because we are trying to pinpoint my quirk exactly. But... we're not sure where to start." He beamed awkwardly.

"I'd love to help out!" Midoryia immediately agreed. "Just let me find my notebooks! I do my best thinking when I write it down."

"Heh. Me too, I guess." Otaku shrugged.

"So why are you trying to determine the exact ramifications of your quirk? What even is you quirk? It must not be like Kacchan's if you are coming to me for assistance-" Izuku muttered on and on.

"We are on a mission of some sorts." Otaku started. "...To find my biological mom..."

Midoryia's mouth hung open. He looked to see Kacchan's reaction, but his face was just as cold and emotionless as before.

"Oh. Well, I will help you. But I'm not sure what you are hoping to find..." Izuku said as he side-eyed the pair. He got they feeling they didn't either. But he wasn't going to say no. If it meant Kacchan might speak to him once more...

"Alright!" Midoryia clapped his notebook closed and walked towards the door. "Follow me and we'll see what you've got!" He beamed and stomped away like a camp counselor.

"Oh! Okay!" Otaku ran after him, going into the garden.

Katsuki was left alone in the cabin house. He felt the breeze blow through the windows, pedals fluttering into the home. He calmly watched as they gently rolled across the floor, past a shrine.

Standing solemnly, he slowly walked towards it. He kneeled ever so softly in front of the little shrine, a tiny picture frame centered besides the adorning candles. With the tiniest pop of his quirk he lit the candles and sat back, staring at her eyes. Her tiny, freckled face beamed brashly back.

"..." He frowned deeply at the picture and stood up, his shoulders sunken. "I'm sorry, Maru..."

Deku and Otaku stood in the sunshine, watching the different trees he could make spring up fascinatingly quick. The entire yard was littered with decaying trees and soybeans.

"Alright! I got some notes and I have a theory, but I'll need to do some research. Let's get inside." Deku smiled as he walked with Otaku. It was warm and sunny, but something felt... off.

Otaku was thrown into this entire situation in just the last day. He barely knew his biological father, and now there was this weird thing between him and this other guy? He felt out of place and out of control.

"I was surprised to see you with Kacchan." Izuku said after noticing his unease.

"Yeah. Me too. I don't know what the hell I'm doing..."

"Huh?" Izuku wasn't sure what he meant.

"I went out looking for him, and now we're on some stupid quest, and I'm visiting a mysterious hermit that I don't know. No offense."

"None taken." Midoryia chuckled. "Well... I don't know why you went looking for him any more than you do, and I don't know why Kacchan decided to personally search for your mom with you, but I can tell you about myself if that would make you more comfortable?"

Otaku contemplated a moment.

"Yeah... that might help?" He wasn't sure if it would or anything.

"Alright. I've been Kacchan's friend since we were in diapers. He bullied me, but we went to Yueei together and eventually became friends. People started calling us the Wonder Duo. Then for some reason I acquired more than one quirk, and that helped me become the number one hero."

"How come I don't remember seeing you on TV?"

"You were probably too young. You see... I retired eleven years ago. And I think Kacchan blames himself for that." Izuku sighed sadly.

"Why did you retire?" Otaku asked, not knowing that wasn't something you just ask somebody. But Izuku found the straightforwardness comforting. Sounded like Kacchan...

"Well... I... lost my daughter." He shakily sighed.

"Oh... Mr. Midoryia... I'm so sorry..." Otaku stopped walking, his mouth agape. Looking at the sky and blinking, Midoryia continued,

"She wasn't even five years old. She got captured by villains to be used as a ransom. But... little did we know... they never intended on giving her back-" Midoryia's voice completely cut out. He was shaking a little bit. Rubbing his sleeve over his eyes, Izuku sniffled and tried his very best to regain composure. Otaku was uncomfortable with the emotion. "Sorry... I don't mean to-"

"I-It's fine Mr. Midoryia. You don't... You don't have to tell me more." Otaku stuttered. Izuku nodded and they kept walking.

Sniffling up his own emotions, Midoryia sighed,

"I think Kacchan blames himself." Otaku and Izuku stopped outside of the home, peering in at the man who stood in front of a shrine. "We all blamed ourselves. We both lost people dear to us that day..."

Otaku's mouth parted slightly in a sad awe. They both lost people? He wasn't sure what to say, so he remained silent as they entered the building once more. Bakugo stood and made careful procedures to not look Deku in the eyes.

"So? Notice anything?" Katsuki asked the ground gruffly and quietly.

"Yeah- lots of things, actually." Izuku smiled, pretending he hadn't thought of his daughter a few moments ago. "But I need to look up something really quick. Wait one moment."

In a flash of green light, Midoryia disappeared from their sight!

"Woah! He's fast!" Otaku gawked. "And you said he's strong, too?"

"Yup. Stronger than All Might." Bakugo sighed. "But... he's slower than he used to be. Honestly, I am too."

Suddenly, Deku appeared in front of them!

"So I went to the library and-"

"Jesus Christ!" Otaku held his pounding heart. "You- You went to the library and back? It's been thirty seconds! We've been driving for hours and didn't see civilization anywhere near here!"

"Hehe... I guess I'm fast? That's why Ochaco and I don't mind living so far. Anyways!" Izuku pulled out a few solid books and slammed them down. "I think my hypothesis is correct... that you can create any glycerin-producing plant with your sweat!" Midoryia mumbled and flipped through pictures upon pictures of different herbs and trees.

"So... that's why I can only grow certain things?" Otaku mumbled.

"Correct! And because Kacchan's quirk produces nitroglycerin, and his mother produces glycerin, and his grandmother could grow flowers-"

"Wow... you... know a lot about his quirk..."

"I've, uh, been fascinated with Kacchan's quirk for as long as I can remember. Anywho- because of this, I deduced that your biological mother..." Midoryia hurriedly sketched away in his notebook, "has a temporal plant quirk!"

"..." Otaku stared at Izuku with blank eyes.

"Like, she can probably grow cacti and succulents, or other warm-temperature plants."

"Oh." Otaku shrugged. "Then, I guess we can look for her now. Thank you very much." Bowing, he started to walk away, Bakugo just behind. But before he dipped out, Izuku had the heart to put a gentle hand on Kacchan's shoulder.

"Kacchan? I don't blame you, you know. I'd really like it if you visited me. We're friends." He said with a weary smile. Bakugo didn't look at him, but stopped a moment.

"If you didn't live in the fucking middle of nowhere. But somebody's gotta stay in Musutafu."

Bakugo was only staying there because nobody else could take the number one hero's place there just yet. He was the only one who could do his job. But damn... he was tired of the same thing over and over.

"Kacchan... why not settle down, move to the countryside, retire? You... You lost a lot too, you know. It's okay if-"

"I'm strong enough, Deku." Katsuki spat at his old rival and friend. "I gotta do this and nobody else can."

Watching his old friend walk back into the forest, Izuku called out to him,

"Just promise me you'll keep looking for someone to take my quirk. You are still doing that, right?" Katsuki nodded slowly, but walked faster into the forest. "Kacchan! Promise me you'll stop when you are tired!"

Bakugo heard him, but he couldn't promise that.

He's been tired for a long time now.


	4. Many Ebenezers

"So a temporal plant quirk?" Otaku mumbled as he and Bakugo got off the train back in Musutafu. "Once we find her in the quirk database then what?"

"Pay her a visit." Bakugo growled as he cracked his knuckles. To tell the honest truth, he had no idea what they were going to do after that. But he was going to take his sweet time. If connecting with this kid kept him from hurting himself then Katsuki would drag this out as long as possible. But they still needed to make good progress on their investigation. He couldn't stay away from hero work forever.

"So... Mr. Midoryia... he told me what happened." Otaku said sheepishly as he twirled his thumbs.

Bakugo shot upright with a horrid scowl on his face.

"He what?"

"I-I-I mean, some of it..." Otaku gulped nervously. "He said that... he lost his daughter?"

"..." Katsuki stopped and stared at the sidewalk. Biting his cheek, he snipped, "Was that all he said?"

"Umm... he also said that you lost someone..." Otaku said very nervously. He watched as Bakugo fidgeted and contorted his expression.

"Fucking Deku." He coughed before wiping his jowls. "Listen kid, you have enough on your plate as it is. So don't push." Katsuki tisked at nothing in particular and drudged ahead slowly.

"It won't do you good getting caught up in ghost stories..."

"..." Otaku really wanted to ask questions, but obviously that wasn't a good idea right now. They kept walking and came past a park behind a temple, it's field long and distant. Many gravestones freckled the grass and daisies, their time being weathered slowly but surely. Katsuki stared out at it with a sad look in his eye before turning back to his tromping.

Maybe later. But right now, he and Otaku needed to head back to his apartment.

"I'm tired of only eating fried rice." Bakugo sighed. "We're getting ramen."

"Oh? Alright." Otaku didn't complain. He didn't mind following Katsuki around. He rather liked it, actually. Gave him a direction to place his feet.

As they slurped away at their noodles, the conversation dwindled. If they couldn't talk about the elephant in the room then there wasn't much to talk about. It wasn't normal for Bakugo to be eating with someone else, so he wasn't even sure what topics to pretend to care about anyways. Eh. Might as well learn a little more about this punk.

"So... you have any friends? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?" Bakugo shrugged.

"No." Otaku said as simply as possible.

"Just asshats and bullies, then?"

"...There's some nice kids. But... the nice kids don't really stick around very long. Everyone else is leftovers, and that's usually a sign that we're crap."

"Ey! I don't want you talking shit about yourself, okay?!" Bakugo demanded. "There ain't such a thing as 'leftovers' when it comes to people."

"But you call people extras all the time!" Otaku pointed out his hypocrisy.

"It's a joke, 'kay? What I'm trying to say is... you're not shitty like those other extras." Katsuki tried his best to say what he meant. But man, he was bad at words. Luckily for him, his kindness caught Otaku off-guard. The punk stared at his noodles and sank a little.

Bakugo didn't know him. If he did know all the crap he's done, then he probably wouldn't say that.

"...Thanks I guess." He kept it simple. Maybe admitting to his dirty record in front of the number one hero wasn't a good idea.

Suddenly, the door chimed, and Bakugo caught sight of three people he was not hoping to see right now. Dammit. He should've stuck with fried rice...

"Oh for the love of-"

"Bakugo?" Mina squeaked at the sight of her old friend. "Bakugo! I haven't seen you in ages!" She ran over excitedly.

"Bakugo!"

"Dude! Bakugo!" Sero and Kaminari ran right past the server and shoved Mina to the side. "Dude! You're not busy? That's..." Denki's sentence trailed off into mindless mumbles as he stared at the teenager at the table.

Not a single one of them could utter a word.

"Umm..." Sero blinked a few times. "Bakugo?"

Sighing, the aggravated hero grumbled,

"Otaku, these are my old classmates Racoon Eyes, Soy Sauce, and Dunce Face. Dorks, this is Otaku." He took a long slurp of noodles to calm his nerves.

"I'm not a dunce! Well... not all the time. My name's Kaminari, nice to meet you Otaku, if that's your real name." Denki smiled purely.

Otaku was completely frozen. His mouth hung open and he stared up in absolute awe.

"You're name... K-Kaminari..." he gawked for some strange reason. Denki had a blank look on his face as the kid stared ceaselessly at him.

"Umm, yes..." He said awkwardly. That introduction didn't clear anything up. "So! Are you, umm... an intern?"

Otaku's brain was still not comprehending who stood in front of him.

It was THE Chargebolt! In the flesh! The man! The myth! The legend! Otaku's personal favorite among heroes!

It was a painful amount of silence later and the teen hadn't said one word. Right, he needed to introduce himself! He wasn't sure what Bakugo's relationship was with these people, so maybe admitting he was Katsuki's illegitimate son was not something he should share.

Slowly moving his mouth, Otaku mumbled while staring directly at Kaminari, "I'm... Otaku..."

Katsuki facepalmed.

"Yes... we gathered." Sero nodded slowly.

"You three are nosy as hell. Like always." Bakugo said with a roll of his shoulders. "Stay outta other people's business."

"But Suki! We miss you! We know you are busy and all, but..." Mina hung her head low and smiled at her twirling thumbs, "We all agree that he would've wanted us to keep hanging out."

Kaminari and Sero nodded to each other. But Bakugo seemed seriously unamused.

"Can't." He scoffed. "I gotta mission."

"Hmm." Mina sighed sadly. "Well, we won't stop inviting you to things. Maybe one of these times you'll agree to join our Forest and Fairies sessions!"

"Hell no. I ain't a dork." Bakugo growled before chugging his tea.

"You should join us when we visit him, at least." Sero's flat face smiled softly. "Keeps the memory alive."

"Go on your own."

"But Suki, don't you miss him-"

"Fuck off." Bakugo snapped, shocking the four onlookers.

"Huh?"

"I said _fuck off_. Go sit down or get out. And for God's sake, stop talking to me." He growled. The three looked shocked and frozen, so Katsuki threw his cash onto the table and scooted his chair back loudly. "Come on, Otaku. We're leaving."

"Oh, erm, okay. Wait!" Otaku turned to Kaminari with a bundle of nerves. "I'ma-a huge fan, and I, um, think you're amazing, Mr. Chargebolt, s-sir-"

"Kid! Get a move on!"

"Hai! I-I'm coming!" Otaku nervously fumbled away from his idol and after Bakugo. They stomped down the sidewalk together as the streetlights buzzed above. Bakugo seemed ticked as hell with a cloud of smoke sizzling from his palms.

"Grr..." he ground his teeth together and flicked his wrists, letting out tiny sparks. Otaku was too star-struck to notice the emanating rage, however.

"Man! You know Chargebolt?! He's so cool! Did you know he once saved three people in cardiac arrest at the same time?! He used to go to Yueei, and when I was little I also wanted to-"

"Stop talking about Dunce Face!" Bakugo shouted harshly with a crack of an explosion. It made Otaku stop in his tracks with a sudden lack of safety. He looked scared of Bakugo. Dammit. "No, kid, I just..." Katsuki growled at himself. "Those clusterfucks like talking about shit they don't understand. They should know by now what to shut their yaps about."

"Do they know not to talk about whatever that was?" Otaku pondered aloud, feeling the need to defend his favorite hero.

"..." Bakugo growled aloud. Maybe he didn't explicitly tell them to back off, but they should be able to tell by his reactions by now.

"I mean, if they are as stupid as you say they are, maybe they just don't know-"

"Look, kid." Katsuki interrupted the teenager's advice, "I'm not sure what you're trying to do, but I ain't gonna change."

"Huh?" Otaku made a curious noise.

"I'm forty-one. What you see is what you get. So stop trying to make me mature or something." He tisked. "Whatta you know anyways, you punk..." he growled and stomped forward into the apartment building. Swallowing roughly, Otaku bravely entered behind him.

Bakugo came into his apartment and tossed his things against the wall and across the room! He was loud in every sense and his posture showed it in every way! The aggressive noises made Otaku jump and flinch at Katsuki's chaotic tromping.

"Fucking fuckers with their fucking-"

"Umm... you know I don't mind swearing... but you're being really loud-"

"Fuck off!" Bakugo snapped. The fearful expression on Otaku's face only seemed to further his anger. "This is my house, and I can be as fucking loud as I want!" He cussed and spat.

"..." Otaku cornered himself in the living room like a scared cat. Katsuki suddenly realized what he was doing and unclenched his sizzling fists.

"Dammit..." Bakugo sighed at himself. "It's not you kid, I just..." He leaned back onto a wall. "I'm tired."

"...Okay..." Otaku mumbled with an ounce of fear.

Katsuki had to get some sleep or get out of here or something. He was pissed, and he didn't want to aim that rage at the kid.

"I'm going to sleep."

"...Alright..." Otaku looked pretty worrisome as he cautiously sat on the couch.

"Right."

"..."

"...G'night."

Bakugo entered his room with a slam of his door. That felt awkward. And he was still angry as hell at what those three stooges were nagging about. Doesn't he fucking miss him?! What the hell do they think?!

"Every single damn day..." he plopped face-first into his pillow and sighed softly into his bed. Maybe tomorrow he won't be so angry.

## Later that night

Waking up with a snort, Katsuki looked at his clock. Three-forty in the morning. Ugh. Well, with the crappy sleep schedule he's been keeping (not to mention all the stress) that was to be expected.

"Dammit. I'm going offa five hours of sleep in the last two nights..." he cracked his neck. If he didn't get back to his sleep schedule soon... At least the kid was probably asleep. Katsuki exited his bedroom quietly and looked over to the couch.

Otaku was asleep on the floor besides the couch, as far away from Bakugo's room as possible.

"Oh crap..." Katsuki deflated. He must've scared him earlier. That wasn't what he wanted to happen.

He... wanted to punk to feel safe around him. Oddly enough.

But he already fucked this up. He was right about himself. His mother was right about him. He wasn't a hero. He didn't look or act the part. He didn't make others feel safe, and he couldn't protect them either! First Shitty Hair now- now-

He needed to let off some steam.

Grabbing his coat and boots, Katsuki took one last look at the teen asleep on the floor and quietly headed out. He'd be back before the punk would wake up. It'll be fine.

In the cool of early morning, under the hum of the streetlights, Katsuki walked past a temple slowly. The rolling field drew him. It was abnormally calm. He strode past stone after stone, each one with a name and a few things written to symbolize the importance of their life. Some of the dates were many years long, and far too many were cut short. He couldn't help but stare at the plaques as he walked by calmly and wonder what those extras were like...

Sen Kaibara- thirty years old.

Meiwaku Basuji- four years old.

...Kōkyō Kirishima... one day old.

And... to the left of that stone...

Bakugo stared at it for a long while. There were fresh flowers that even in the nighttime hues beamed a radiant red. Bakugo kneeled down to it slowly, not in any hurry. Everything else could wait.

Without any emotion in his throat, Katsuki whispered out to the air,

"Hey Shitty Hair..."

Of course there was no response. But... it felt like he could hear him. At least, Katsuki really hoped he could.

"So... this kid." Bakugo huffed a smile. "I was sparring with him. And... I shouted your name." He rubbed his weary face and looked away. He only wished he could blast the name away from that stone. To not be reminded how much distance two meters of dirt can actually bring. "It was like I was fighting with you all over again." He coughed a little.

"I don't know why I'm doing this for the kid. I don't want him dead, but it's more than that. I-" Bakugo shakily leaned his head onto the stone slab. "I just want a-" Shaking his head in self anger, he screamed, "I know I can't have it! I know, alright!? Just-"

Deku had it, and lost it.

Kirishima had it, and lost it.

Out of all the people, Bakugo was the least deserving of it. He threw it away the moment it landed on his doorstep.

He couldn't even bring himself to say out loud what he really wanted. It hurt too much.

"I just keep fucking up everything... And I don't want to mess this up any more than I already have..." he sighed at the gravestone, leaning on it a little more. He could stay a moment. He needed this. "Please help me, Kirishima..."

It was a calm morning. Abnormally calm.

Back at Bakugo's apartment, a completely unrelated situation took place. It's timing was uncanny, but life is like that sometimes.

A crazy drunk dude was sprawled out on the front steps of the complex, completely wasted. He wasn't going anywhere.

"Sir, I am going to have to ask you to leave."

"Goin ta have ta ask ya ta goin ta have ta ask ya~" he sang.

"Sir, I am a policewoman. Please leave or I will be requesting backup.

"Pleb..." he sneezed. "Isa Saturday... Police-people gots church..."

"It's a Thursday... and what?!" The cop sighed aggravatedly. Things like this were not important enough to drag a hero into, so she called for another cop. "I hate my job..." She groaned as he watched the drunkard pass out once more.

Otaku woke up to the flashing of siren lights.

"Huh?" He uncurled himself and looked out the cracked open window. There were two police cars outside. "Cops?" He whispered out a gasp. They weren't after him, right? No way. How would they even know some measly purse-snatcher was in this specific apartment?

"..." Otaku nervously looked around the dark room lit only by flashes of red lights. Then he heard the mumbled noises coming from outside.

"So do we just cuff him?"

"No, he'll just try and use his quirk. It's better if we don't wake him up." The other yawned.

Otaku gulped a little. They weren't talking about him, were they? Were they?!

"It's sad, how many of these we get called in for." One rolled her shoulders.

"Yeah. Not good enough for the heroes to give a crap, I see."

"Huh?" Otaku leaned in closer with a knot gnawing at his stomach. It really felt like they were talking about him. B-But that was crazy! He was imagining things! Bakugo wasn't going to arrest him! He was in his room just over there-

The door was wide open. Feeling a rock sink down his whole body, Otaku forced himself over to his biological dad's bedroom.

It was empty.

"Bakugo?" He squeaked. No reply came back. In fact, the entire apartment was empty. "Did he... Did he really..."

He abandoned him, didn't he?

"No. Think rationally. We're on a mission. We're searching for my mom. It's fine-"

On a mission? Searching for his mom? What was Otaku thinking? That was the most childish trick and he fell for it like an absolute idiot. Of course no one would do something like that for him.

He looked out the window once more at the bright, flashing lights. He wasn't panicking, and he wasn't scared. It wouldn't be his first time in juvenile detention. It's just... well...

He hoped Bakugo would be different. But obviously, he is just like everyone else.

Otaku knew it was too good to be true. Maybe Bakugo was entertaining the thought of connecting with him or some crap like that, but as soon as Otaku proved to be a nuisance he just threw him out like all the others did.

Well, there was no point in sticking around just to get arrested. Might as well look for his mom elsewhere. Maybe he can hack into the quirk database by himself. There was really only one option left to find his mom.

Run away.

He grabbed his bag and stuffed his notebook back into it. He couldn't go through the downstairs door, the police were right outside. Looking over to the fire escape he peered down. Sure it was cold out, but he'd rather be out there than stick around.

He slowly slipped on his coat and opened up the fire escape window. Looking back once more, he saw the bag on the counter. A simple black duffel bag with a letter in it. Without thinking, he snatched it up and descended the ladder. It was his, anyways. There was nothing else for him here.

Bakugo Katsuki gave out one more sigh before standing up from his defeated slump. He needed to get back before that kid woke up to an empty home.

"I'll come back in a few days." Bakugo informed the cold stone in the earth. "I'll be busy. But I'll be back." He cracked his back and meandered down the sidewalk which caught the first tint of sunlight. He wasn't in a huge hurry. As the number one hero, when times of peace came you seize it as best you can. As he came up to his apartment entrance the smell of alcohol and urine graced his senses.

"Damn hobo stinking up the place again." He coughed before entering. He slowly walked up the stairs, opened the door, dragged himself to his room, and plopped into his pillow. Sleep almost overtook him, but some lingering thought stirred him. "Did I forget something?" He mumbled aloud. Thinking about it a moment, nothing came to mind. Oh wait! That's right! "The kid!" He shot out of bed and stumbled to the living room. But it was empty. And so was the bathroom and office and closet and-

"Where the hell is he?!" He panicked. A cool wind shook his window blinds. "Oh no." His shoulders sank. He looked up and down the fire escape, but no Otaku. "Kid! Oi kid!" Bakugo shouted out his window. "Shit!" He jumped out of his building and searched the sidewalk for any clues. Bakugo had to find him! There was no confidence in this punk's mental health.

"Okay okay- think. If I were him, where the hell would I go?!" Katsuki tried to think, but he wasn't sure what the kid was thinking at all. "Why did he run away?! What does he plan on doing-"

That pill. The kid bought that pill to- to- dear Lord if he was thinking of that two days ago then he still might-

"Oh God no..." Bakugo needed to find Otaku. NOW.

## The library

Otaku was in the corner of the busy library, typing away at the computer. He thought he might as well try and search for a temporal quirk here, just in case his mom popped up. But there was nothing. So instead, he searched for the next best thing.

"Who can access... quirk database..." He entered. "Heroes, detectives, and police? Hmm..." He typed away even more. Apparently, each police car had a database in it's front console. Wait... but that was inside a police car...

Well, he's done dangerous and illegal things before. And now, he really only had one last chance to find his mom. Might as well give it his all.

All he had to do was find an unoccupied police car. He couldn't just go to the station, duh. But where else could he-

Luck must've been on his side.

Across the street sat a police car. Two policemen stepped out and entered the restaurant behind them. From where the car was parked they wouldn't be able to see him if he stuck to the right. Oh this was too perfect.

He quickly signed off the computer, threw up his hoodie and sick-mask, and dashed across the street. He watched the policemen carefully as they sat down at a table and began to eat. Good. That gave him a little time to gather some things. Digging through the trash he found an old butter knife. That would do.

Breaking into the police car was easy- he had done this sort of thing a dozen times before. And the cameras in the car didn't bother him, he'll just change clothes after this and they'll never be the wiser. Cracking open the front panel his fiddled with some wires and started the car. Now he had to really hurry. Once they notice the car had started they'll come running out.

Otaku typed quickly away at the database. His heart was pounding and adrenaline shook his hands.

"Temporal... plant..." a few things popped up. "Alright alright." Otaku pulled out his notebook and was ready to write down any address and name that came up. But... none of the people listed could be his mom. An elderly man, a five-year-old girl, a teenager, even Otaku himself showed up in the search results (which honestly freaked him out a little, not gonna lie). But... there was no one who matched his mom's age-range.

That didn't make any sense. She has to be in here! Unless Mr. Midoryia got a faulty diagnosis of her quirk, but-

"Hey! Hey you!"

"Shit!" Otaku jumped out of the cop car and dashed away as fast as he could! He slipped under a fence and over a barrier, ducking into an alleyway! Hopes were high, as he was much faster than the two cops. He outran the number one hero, he could outrun a few measly policemen! But since it was so early in the morning there were no crowds to duck under!

Then, before he could take one step further, a huge puddle of water opened up from underneath him! He immediately crashed under! It was deeper than expected- he couldn't touch the bottom! Struggling for air, he broke through the surface with a gasp! Then, as quickly as he had submerged, the water around him grew solid as pavement!

"Officer Cho! You know you are not to use your quirk! That is reserved for heroes only!" The older officer barked as they circled around the immobilized teen.

"Hey, but I stopped him!" Cho protested as he morphed the pavement into water again before lifting Otaku out.

"Let go of me- Let go-" Otaku squirmed and fought against the quirk-cancelling handcuffs that tightened around his wrists.

"What did you seriously expect to happen, carjacker?" Cho sighed. "You broke into a police vehicle."

"But I still have to..." It suddenly hit Otaku. He was going to juvenile detention, probably until he was eighteen. After that, he'll have no chance of finding a family...

Although, he stopped hoping for that a long time ago. He was definitely too broken to belong anywhere.

He should've just stopped it all when he could-

"Hey coppers!" A loud shout caught the three's attention.

"Sir? Need something?" One asked the tall man.

"I can take this one down to the station." He said with a sneer.

"Excuse me, but who are you-" Cho stopped his sentence short as a badge got shoved in his face. Pro-Hero Ground Zero. The number one hero. "...!" His mouth hung open in absolute awe.

"Saw you using your quirk back there, officer..." Bakugo said slowly. "You aren't s'posed to do that."

"I was already scolding him, sir." The older cop stuttered.

"But you weren't gonna put that in the report, were ya?"

"..." Bakugo smirked at the silent policemen. Got em.

"How 'bout I just take this kid straight to juvie and you two get your car fixed up?" Katsuki said with a turn as he dragged the terrified punk away. Otaku couldn't imagine a worse possible fate. His own biological dad was going to personally toss him out. Like throwing away trash. It was worse than death. Not only was he going to never find a family, but his own relative was going to make sure he never did.

"Come on, carjacker. Keep moving." Bakugo growled as they left the shocked policemen and rounded the corner.

Otaku ground his teeth and hunched over. The quirk-restraint cuffs burned his skin when he tried to grow something. Escape was futile. Katsuki made sure the drenched teen wasn't going anywhere and guided him onto an empty street. Otaku could try to run away, but no one was going to help someone in handcuffs. He was truly alone.

"Let go of me!"

"Quit squirming."

"Why are you humiliating me like this?! Just let me have some dignity before being locked away forever..." He whimpered and struggled against his restraints.

"You're gonna get me into some deep shit one of these days, kid." Bakugo spat before pulling him into an alleyway. Before Otaku could question him, Bakugo grabbed the handcuffs roughly. "Close your eyes."

"What-"

***BAM! BAM!***

The scraps fell to the alleyway floor with a clink. Otaku couldn't understand what was happening.

"Why did you-"

"No. I'm asking questions first." Bakugo snipped crossly as he took the scrap metal and stuffed it onto Otaku's bag. "Why the hell did you run away?! Was our investigation going too slow for your tastes?! You gave me a fucking heart attack!"

"..." Otaku stared at the ground and clenched his jaw so hard it felt like his teeth were going to break.

"I got back home and you just disappeared! And where did I find you?! Fucking stealing a cop car?!" He screamed. But Otaku couldn't make eye contact, just held himself.

"Well?! What do you have to say for yourself?!" Bakugo growled.

"..." Otaku couldn't say anything for a moment. But eventually, he did mumble, "...Why'd you call the cops on me?"

"You broke into their car! I didn't-"

"This morning. At the apartment. You were gone, and I overheard the cops outside!" He hissed and began to shake. "You were just gonna get rid of me?! Have someone else do the dirty work?!"

"What?" Bakugo really had no idea what Otaku was blabbering about, but he definitely didn't call the cops on the punk.

"Once I became a problem you were just going to throw me away! Just like every other fucking person!" He coughed and shouted. The lost look in Katsuki's eyes only made him more pissed off. "Stop it! I am done with people pretending to care! So you can quit this whole damn mission we're on, because I know it's a load of bull! Just like you!"

Katsuki was not sure what was going on, but there were definitely some tears threatening to fall from Otaku's angry eyes. He breathed in and out slowly.

"I don't know what you're talking about, because I didn't call any cops. And this 'mission,' yeah, it might be stupid! But..." Katsuki tisked as himself and hit his leg. "I wanna find that bitch too, okay?!"

Otaku still didn't look his biological dad in the eyes. His fists were clenched and his shoulders were shaking.

"Then why did you just leave me-"

"Look, kid, if you used that smart brain of yours for thirty seconds you'd get it! I'm a Pro-Hero, and sometimes that means I gotta sneak out at the middle of the night! And why would I leave you in my own house?! Think for a moment!"

Otaku winced at himself. Yeah. Maybe if he did think a moment he would've thought about that. But he didn't, and he panicked.

"God dammit, Otaku! I can't leave you alone for one hour?! I mean, who'd just abandon you like that?!"

"You did."

Otaku's quiet answer caught Katsuki off-guard.

He did abandon him, didn't he? Those fifteen years ago.

Bakugo tried to think of something to say, but obviously nothing was going to make this situation better.

"I-" Katsuki gawked wordlessly for a few seconds. But Otaku simply stared at him with anger in his eyes: a sad anger. "Let's... Let's head back..." Was all Bakugo could think to say. Otaku followed behind very slowly, his hands shoved in his sweater's cold, soaking pockets. He looked as bitter as he was freezing.

"Once were back where it's safe I'll give you new clothes." Bakugo mumbled awkwardly. His words just made Otaku tisk spitefully.

"No offense, but I don't feel particularly safe around you or your home." His tone was sharp, and it took everything in Katsuki not to snap back. But... he understood how he felt.

"Look kid..." Katsuki rubbed his neck tiredly, "...is there anything... anything I can do to make you, um, feel safe?"

"What?" Otaku wasn't prepared for a question like that.

"Ya know, feel safe around me, or at the apartment or something. 'Cuz... I want ya to know I ain't gonna throw you away." He shrugged as they kept walking. Honestly, Otaku couldn't think of an answer for him. No one had asked him something like that before. To be fair, most kids shouldn't have to be asked that.

"I... dunno." Otaku sank. "..." Staring at Katsuki's back as they walked, he asked, "If you're not lying to me, and we actually find my mom... how are you gonna deal with me then?"

Bakugo turned around and looked at the defeated kid's slumped posture. He'd... he'd help that kid find what he couldn't have. He'll help Otaku get what he threw away.

"I'll stick with ya until you get a family."

"Huh?" Otaku gasped as he dared to hope. It wasn't impossible?

"I'll help you find one. A family with a house and a yard and a pet or crap. But until then, I ain't going anywhere."

"..." Otaku felt a smile actually creep onto his lips. Maybe it wasn't totally hopeless. Maybe he wasn't going to be abandoned. Maybe he wasn't truly alone.

"Oh, umm... so when I broke into that cop car... I tried to look up my mom on the database."

"Hmm?" Bakugo wasn't condoning carjacking, but he was curious.

"Is the police database incomplete, or... do they have limited access or something?"

"You didn't find anything, did you?"

"...No."

"Then she's got a different quirk." Katsuki stated pointedly. "We can search for other terms or check and see if she's in the deceased files or-"

"Or she could be quirkless." Otaku mumbled along. "But that would be ridiculous. A quirkless chick. Pfft." He shook his head at himself.

Bakugo froze.

"You okay?" Otaku asked the forty-year-old. But Katsuki didn't say anything.

"Quirkless chick..." Suddenly, a faint memory came seeping back into his mind. He couldn't believe he didn't realize until now- how he hadn't put the pieces together until this moment! "Your birthday... it's in May, right?"

"Yeah?"

"September, October, November, December, January, February, March..." He started counting the months on his fingers.

"What are you doing?"

"The party in September... walking home alone... crazy quirkless chick with a brick..." Bakugo's mind was reeling.

"Hey, are you okay?" Otaku asked, concerned. Bakugo reeled around and grabbed Otaku by the shoulders.

"I- I remember! There was this party, and some chick knocked me out with a brick, and- and-" Straightening his posture, Katsuki gasped,

"We need to find the security footage. We need to make sure."

"Huh? What are you saying?"

Jogging away from the direction of his apartment, Bakugo waved Otaku to follow.

"As much as I hate this, we're gonna need some help." He said as they dashed towards the central city.

"Some help?" Otaku gawked. With a serious nod, Bakugo groaned,

"Hai. But it won't be easy." He looked ahead at the tall building with a large sign on the top floor. Todoroki Agencies...

"That Half-n-Half bastard hates my guts..."


	5. Better Off

Bakugo and Otaku ran into the large building with determination... and slight confusion. Todoroki Agencies? Otaku has heard of the famous Pro-Hero Shouto before, and never in his life imagined just walking into his office! He was the number two hero in Japan! Well... he supposed Ground Zero was number one, so maybe this was socially acceptable?

The elevator ascended the many floors, and Otaku shivered a bit from the cold. He didn't get to change his soaking wet clothes yet; what was so important that Bakugo couldn't go back to the apartment?!

"Hey, who is this guy? I mean, I know he's famous, but like, who is he?" Otaku asked as the elevator binged and opened its doors. Bakugo just sighed in aggravation.

"Half-n-Half is an old co-intern and classmate of mine. He's nosy as shit, but that's exactly what we need right now." He said as he approached the front desk of the packed agency. The lady seemed confused by this random stranger that somehow got past security downstairs.

"May I help you, sir?" She asked nicely, with a hidden sass in her tone. Katsuki slammed his hero license on the desk and grumbled,

"Ground Zero. Now where's Icy Hot? I have important shit to attend to with him." He seemed anxious.

"He's not available at the moment."

"Is he in his office?" Bakugo asked as he stomped around a corner. He went to the nearest door and jiggled the handle. Locked.

"Sir! That's his private office, and he's not in at the moment! He's in the middle of an important investigation! You'll have to set up an appointment or-"

"When will he be back?" Katsuki spat rudely. Otaku was just in awe at how much straightforward authority Bakugo had, despite its misplacement.

"He'll be here in an hour, but by then we'll be-" She was interrupted once more by the old man,

"I'll be back then, I have to talk to him. No wasting my precious time with your dumb schedule." Bakugo growled as he and Otaku headed back to the elevator.

"But, sir! Oh cuss!"

Whatever she was about to say was cut off as the doors closed. Bakugo and Otaku stood together in silence. Painfully awkward music strung out the stilted vibe in the elevator. Otaku wasn't sure what to ask, so he kept his thoughts to himself as he tried to keep warm. Bakugo eyed him cautiously as a shiver wreaked his body.

"What size are you?" Katsuki asked out of nowhere.

"Huh? Size?" Otaku asked with a lost kitten look on his face.

"For clothes. And shoes. You're drenched and we have an hour to kill." Bakugo said plainly as they exited the elevator and headed outside, walking towards the mall.

"Oh, umm... I usually get hand-me-downs, so I'm not sure."

Bakugo exaggeratedly rolled his eyes.

"You are absolutely no help whatsoever. Come on, we're getting you something half decent to wear." Katsuki gestured his head to the clothing store.

"But I... don't have any money." Otaku said awkwardly as they entered the outlet.

"I'm paying, obviously."

"But-"

"Just accept the damn gift. I can't be walking around with a drenched hobo anymore."

And thus, the shopping sequence commenced. Despite showing up at Bakugo's door with the crappiest smattering of an outfit, Otaku actually had some fashion sense. Not Bakugo's fashion sense, but some sense.

"Flowers? ...Again?" Katsuki asked as Otaku put back the pattered shirt.

"It was an interesting pattern!" He protested hard. But looking at their cart showed that almost all the shirts he grabbed had some flower on it in some shape or form. "I just like flowers, okay!" Otaku blushed.

"..." Bakugo did not get it. It was too colorful.

"Look, it's not like I'm gay or anything just because I like flowers!" He said with a crimson blush.

"Huh?" That kinda confused Bakugo. "I didn't say it was."

"...Yeah."

"..." Eyeing the embarrassed teen up and down, Katsuki shrugged, "You know, I don't care if you are-"

"I'm not!"

"...Alright."

"I'm serious!" His defensiveness was not helping his case one bit.

"I really don't care if you are."

"I mean... I wouldn't either, okay? But I... don't think I'm much of anything."

"Much of anything?" Bakugo pondered aloud. But Otaku just shrugged a little as he pick another shirt.

"Like... I've never had a crush before. And I don't... see myself falling in love. I don't think I'm cut out for that..." Otaku sighed sadly and deflated a little bit. Katsuki simply huffed and replied,

"That makes two of us."

"...?" Otaku hadn't ever met someone who felt like he does before. "Really?"

"I dated a chick for a long time, but I shoulda known it wasn't gonna last. I never felt that... attachment with her." Bakugo grabbed the cart and walked over to the changing rooms. It was kind of hard to move on from such a subject, so Katsuki picked up a random shirt from a pile and gave a nod.

"At least you're won't look homeless with these."

"Hey!" Otaku pouted playfully, "If I look homeless then that's entirely your fault! These are your clothes, after all..." He teased as he pointed to the damp skull T-shirt.

"What?! I'm not wearing a bouquet if that's what you're suggesting!" Bakugo coughed with a laugh.

"I think you could pull it off." Otaku had a mischievous smile on his face.

"Hell no."

Katsuki exited the changing room with an unamused look on his scruffy face. He gave an unenthusiastic turnaround as he showed off the ridiculously pink and green shirt.

Otaku was having a tough time keeping it together.

"Okay... maybe it's a little pansy..."

"Oi! You're the one who forced me to wear this crap!" Katsuki groaned. But Otaku wasn't done with his fun yet.

"Wait-" he grabbed something off a discount rack and put it on Katsuki's head. "Perfect!" He snickered. It was an old lady bonnet that immediately made Bakugo twenty years older. Rolling his eyes, Katsuki stood akimbo and declared,

"That completes my new look. Let's check out the bingo tournament down the street, unless that's too exciting for you, grandma?"

"Pfft! Haha! Ha!"

Oh. That was the first time Katsuki had heard Otaku laugh. It was nice and genuine. Made him want to hear it again. Shaking the smirk away from his face, Bakugo yanked off the ridiculous headband and said,

"We're here to buy you clothes, right? Geez! Wasting our time! Ya better try clothes out and fast, we got to get a move on."

"But we still have a half hour!"

"Not if we're gonna give you a haircut."

"Uh?" Otaku wasn't expecting that. He hadn't ever really been pampered before, but there had to be some catch or something, right? "Why are you doing this for me?" Otaku asked out loud.

Bakugo didn't answer. There were so many things Katsuki messed up on. His biggest regret was throwing Otaku away, and now that he's here... he feels like he has to try and save whatever broken pieces remained. And that started by getting this kid cleaned up. So Katsuki simply shrugged and mumbled,

"Because I wanna."

After dawning a new outfit and getting the sharpest haircut he's ever had, Otaku wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. _He_ picked out his clothes and his hairstyle, and now everything about him felt like... him. It was the first time that he felt like himself, therefore he didn't feel like himself, if that makes sense.

"You alright, kid?" Bakugo asked as Otaku continued to stare at his reflection.

"Oh, uh, yeah..." Otaku scruffed his fingers through his hair. All the clothes he picked looked... bright and happy. But that... wasn't exactly how he felt yet. Maybe he'd slip the black hoodie on once more.

"Well then we better head back to Icy Hot and force him to talk to us."

"Oh yeah, about this guy..." Otaku started as he followed Bakugo out of the hair salon, "You said he hates your guts."

Groaning with immense aggravation, Katsuki rolled his neck several times before answering,

"A lot of people hate my guts. But he's the worse case outta them all."

"Why's that?" Otaku pondered. With a sad shrug, Bakugo sighed,

"...Cuz it makes sense why he hates me." He looked over to Otaku who's big eyes stared back up at him. It was kinda endearing, Katsuki wasn't gonna lie. He gave a single nod and said, "But he might actually talk to me once he sees you."

"_Me?!_" Otaku gasped as they walked into the building.

"Yeah. Don't hesitate to tell him exactly who you are." Katsuki said mystically. Tell him who he is? If Bakugo was certain... then alright...

Bakugo barged into the offices like the owned the place and stomped over to the counter with authority. He slammed a hand on the table with a bang and made the lady jump.

"So. Is he here?" He pointedly questioned.

"Alright, mister, what I was about to tell you before you left in such a hurry is that we are closed now. You can't see him without setting up an-"

"So is he here or not?" Bakugo growled before walking right past her desk and kicking open Todoroki's office door.

"Sir! Wait!" But she couldn't stop Katsuki from doing what he wants. However, Shouto was not in his office. His crappy, ridiculously cluttered office with cork boards filled up with connecting strings of yarn and pictures stapled to news articles. It was hectic.

"Well?! Where the hell is he!? Is he in the next door over or-" As he left the empty room, he nearly butted heads with a cold, rife glare.

"..." Todoroki stared down the explosive man with spite and furrowed his brows in anger. "Bakugo. Why are you here?" He asked sharply. Katsuki exhaled slowly and said,

"We need your help."

"..." Todoroki's eye twitched in rage. "You need _my_ help?"

"...Yes."

"You want me to stop my pursuit of the man who destroyed everything... to lend a hand?" His presence was very dark. He began to shove Katsuki towards the elevator with a cold authority.

"Hey! Don't push me! You know I wouldn't come to you if it wasn't the last possible option!" Bakugo snapped at the man.

"I am uninterested in looking for anyone other than the man who stole everything from the people I love." Todoroki said sternly with another shove. "I thought you felt the same way, but you have proved me wrong. So goodbye-"

"Excuse me?"

Todoroki stopped what he was doing to look at the source of interruption. It was a teenager.

"...Hello?" Shouto was a little confused. "Who is this?" He pondered with a clueless expression on his face.

"My name is Otaku. I'm..." he looked over at Bakugo who gave a reassuring nod, "I'm Bakugo's son."

"...!" Todoroki's eyes widened and he stopped pushing Katsuki away. Looking between the two he definitely saw a resemblance. "Forgive me. My name is Todoroki Shouto." He bowed respectably to the teenager, "Would you like some tea?"

"Oh, umm, I'm good..." Otaku was surprised by the sudden change in Shouto's posture.

"We came to you because we are looking for his mom." Katsuki said as he stood next to Otaku, "You're the only guy I know who could possibly find security footage from sixteen years ago."

"I see..." Todoroki sighed and stared at Otaku. He really did look like his dad. "Alright... You need my assistance?"

"...Yes." Bakugo humbly bowed a tiny bow.

"...I'll help you."

"Thank-"

"On one condition."

"..." Bakugo didn't like the sound of this, but what other choice did he have? "What."

"I need you to answer every question I have. Truthfully, quickly, and honestly. And I can choose to stop helping immediately under any circumstance."

"Fine! We shouldn't take up too much of your time." Katsuki sighed and rubbed his eyes from the headache he was getting. He already hated this, but what else was he going to do?

"First, my question for you:" Todoroki calmly demanded, "Assuming you will pursue this woman once you find her, what will you do once you have made contact?"

"..." Bakugo hadn't really thought of it, but he had a basic idea. "Once I know what's going on, I'm gonna bring her to justice. Out her for doing shit to me."

The straightforward way Bakugo said this made Otaku feel off. Yeah, he got the idea that his birth mom was a bad lady. But every time he was reminded of that it made him shutter.

"I see... then what do you plan on doing with the boy?" Shouto asked with a bitter anger in his eyes. But as he turned to Otaku they grew soft again. Like he genuinely cared about Otaku's wellbeing.

"I'm gonna stick with Otaku until I can find him a proper family." Bakugo was not liking this barrage of investigatory questions, but he was going to answer them like he promised. Otaku gave a tiny smile at that, looking at the carpet.

Todoroki squinted at Bakugo skeptically, his glare sharp as daggers.

"A proper family..." he mumbled to himself, "Alright. Bakugo, please follow me into my office. Otaku, I'm sorry, but I am going to have to ask you to sit out here."

"Huh? Okay..."

"Please do not enter my office, I am currently working on a large investigation and it has critical information not permitted for civilian eyes." Todoroki explained throughly with a softness in his tone. He was being very respectful to Otaku, oddly.

"Yeah, I can stay out here."

Otaku watched as the two men entered the office and waited as the door made a soft click behind Todoroki. He stood a moment before taking a seat in a random chair and patting his knees awkwardly. The previously bustling floor was now almost cleared out, and all but the entryway lights were off.

Shutting off one more light from the bathrooms, the desk lady grabbed her coat and keys. She sighed at the teenager with a silly raise of her eyebrows.

"Sorry you have such a loud and brash father. Must be hard to put up with."

"Oh, he's not, umm-" Otaku awkwardly rubbed his head. Katsuki technically was his biological dad, but he wouldn't really feel comfortable call him his dad yet. But how was he going to explain that to the random stranger? "He's... not that bad." He said instead.

"I understand. He reminds me a lot of my son."

"Oh. Mmhm." Otaku wasn't very interested.

"Yes. He would've been about your age, I believe."

"...Would've?" Otaku asked quietly.

"Hai..." she smiled softly at the floor, "Sometimes, when I think about the what if's, I wonder who he'd be friends with today..." She got lost in her own world a moment before realizing this was just some poor kid she was telling her life story to. "But it doesn't do one good getting lost in the what if's. Remember that now, alright?" She smiled ever so nicely and patted Otaku's face caringly.

"Uhh, sure Mrs..."

"Ms. Meiwaku."

"Ah. Well, thanks, I guess."

Bakugo watched Todoroki as he typed away at his laptop. He looked around the room and sank a little. Todoroki had the walls of a madman conspirator. He was looking for a smuggler, abuser, murderer- the same one he's been looking for for eleven years.

At this point, Katsuki lost hope in ever finding that bastard. Everyone has. Even Midoryia.

Everyone except Todoroki.

"Sixteen years ago, on a September?"

"Hai. Coming home from that bar." Bakugo answered in a grumble.

As Shouto stared at his screen he squinted and mumbled,

"Describe to me the exact order of events that took place that night."

"..." Bakugo didn't want to remember it if this chick really was Otaku's mother, but that's what he was here for, right? "I was at this stupid party with Dunce Face and... and Kirishima. I was dead tired and went home around midnight a little buzzed."

Todoroki raised a skeptical eyebrow at him.

"Okay, maybe just deadass drunk. But I remember it just fine, okay?!"

"So then what occurred?" Shouto asked quietly as he continued to stare at the screen in front of himself.

"Some crazy chick stopped me, saying she was a fan and going on and on about her personal life and how she wanted to go into UA but didn't have a quirk, blah blah blah."

"I am guessing you were not amused by such an interruption..." Shouto stated factly.

"Yeah, no. I told her to fuck off and she... she got this crooked smile..." Bakugo shuttered. It was all starting to come back... vividly...

Otaku tapped his feet on the floor a moment and hummed an original tune to himself. He was bored, and something about the empty business made him... uneasy. It was only about two in the afternoon, why was this hero agency closed so early? It was weird.

He might as well look at his phone while he waited-

His phone wasn't in his pocket.

"Hey Bakugo? I think I left my phone in the clothes I borrowed earlier." As he was thinking about it he groaned with annoyance. His phone was probably damaged beyond repair after being dunked under water with him. "Man... I wonder if there's any rice I can leave it in..." He mumbled and went over to the door.

"Hey Bak-"

"-she got this crooked smile..."

"..." Otaku immediately guessed who they were talking about. He probably shouldn't listen in... but...

"A crooked smile?"

"Hai... and she whispered, 'we would've been perfect together...'" Otaku pressed his large ear against the door and listened in closer.

"...So do you remember... what she did after that?" Todoroki asked carefully.

"...She smacked me with a brick. And then I woke up, covered in vomit. ...Kirishima picked me up, and I never thought about it again."

"That was nine months before you found the boy?"

"Eleven, but the doc said he was two months old. So as far as timing goes... it fits."

Otaku bit his lip and deflated onto the door. He... only existed because of some rancid tsundere lady... It was starting to sink in a little deeper. No wonder Bakugo didn't want him-

"Bakugo..." Todoroki began seriously, "I never did forgive you for giving up the boy."

"..." Otaku's jaw dropped. Was that why Shouto was angry at Bakugo? Or maybe just one of the reasons?

"...Me neither."

"...!" Otaku wasn't expecting Katsuki to say that. He... regretted abandoning him?

"But you are helping him now. What changed your mind?"

Yeah, what changed his mind?

"...You want the honest answer?" Bakugo asked Todoroki, Otaku nodded his head along as he listened in.

"Only the truth."

"...He-"

*Bump.*

Otaku swiveled away from the door and stared down the hall. No one else was here, right? It was just them three, right?

He tiptoed without making a sound. He could hear soft footsteps. Someone was trying to be sneak around.

"Ms. Meiwaku? I-Is that you?" Otaku shouted into the dark room full of cubicles.

The floor was silent.

No one responded back to him. But it felt like there was something out there-

"Otaku!"

"Gah!" Otaku jumped defensively with his fists out, ready for a scuffle.

"Jeez, kid! Did I spook ya or something?" Bakugo scoffed. But Otaku just looked back over the dark floor.

He felt like someone was watching them...

"We were unable to recover anything from my laptop." Shouto sighed.

"Come on, we need to go get footage from the apartment. We'll drop off your crap while we're there." Bakugo said as he and Todoroki entered the elevator. But Otaku couldn't pry his eyes away from the shadows.

"Oi kid! You alright?"

"Huh? Y-Yeah. I'm ready..." He said slowly while backing into the elevator. As the doors closed he continued to peer out into the abyss, fearful he may find something.

Just as the doors were about to shut, Otaku could've sworn he saw the faintest ghost of a shadow...

...turn.

"_Gasp!_" He gawked for one moment.

"What is it?" Todoroki asked the oddly behaving boy. But the teen just shook himself back to reality.

"N-Nothing. Just being paranoid." He felt a shiver tickle his neck as he exhaled too quietly for the others to hear, "I hope..."

## Bakugo's Apartment

Otaku entered Bakugo's apartment behind the two top Pro-Heroes. For some strange reason, even though these two were the best of the best, the protectors of Japan, the teen felt... unsafe. He was just being paranoid. No one was following them.

"The landlord agreed to giving us a thumb drive of the footage." Katsuki said with a crack of his neck and a toss of his keys, "I don't know how I ain't ever thought of this before."

"Thought of what?" Otaku pondered with wide eyes. Todoroki slid off his shoes and opened up his laptop.

"Checking this apartment's outdoors security footage..." Shouto sat on the couch.

"To see the night your birth mom plopped you on the steps downstairs." Bakugo added as he sat by the window. Otaku's eyes widened even more. He forgot that's where she left him. He's been stepping over those fateful steps without care this whole time.

"So... we might be able to find a video of her? To... see what she looks like?"

"We will." Shouto mumbled, "Bakugo recalls the exact day he found you, and the time too."

"R-Really?" Otaku gawked once more. Bakugo exhaled,

"...July twenty-fifth, around nine-fifty."

"..."

"...In that bag... with that letter." He pointed to the duffle bag that Otaku had been carrying around with him this whole time. That's right. He tried to steal it earlier.

"Oh... yeah, I erm, guess this is yours-"

"You can keep it."

"...Okay."

Todoroki watched the interaction between the two. Maybe Bakugo really was trying to fix what was broken...

Although it was a bit late for that.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of watching eyes looked down upon the investigators. They squinted in pure, unbridled hatred.

She stared through the clueless figures, her eyes longed for blood.

Licking her lips and scrunching her nose, she unsheathed her weapon, ready to take out her target.

But she couldn't act now. There were too many variables. Too many witnesses, and it'd be too suspect.

Gently, she lowered her weapon and slid it back into her holster.

She can wait.

She's waited this long...

"I've found it." Shouto said rather simply. Bakugo and Otaku blinked blankly.

"Al...Already?" The teenager gawked.

"Hai. Come see." Todoroki spun it around for the two Bakugos to observe.

In the video, Katsuki left his apartment with his hands deep in his pockets. He walked away and passed right by a hooded figure...

The mysterious person watched as he left. She came up to the steps and plopped a duffle bag down before walking away without a care. Just left.

"She... didn't even look back..." Otaku whimpered with wide eyes.

"..." Katsuki leaned in closely with a dark aura of rage ebbing off of him. They couldn't see her face, but that was for her own good. Otherwise, he would've beat the absolute shit out of that crazy bitch. "You were out there... for four hours... while I was out eating dinner..." he snarled.

Noticing the anger building up in Bakugo, Otaku mumbled,

"Y-You didn't know, it's alright! I didn't freeze, so everything is alright and-"

"Shut up De- erm, Otaku..." Bakugo growled.

Todoroki fast forwarded the footage to four hours later.

The bag wiggled and squirmed all alone on the doorstep. Then, Bakugo came into view. He seemed very skeptical of the package. Slowly, he unzipped it. His shock was visible from the camera.

He pulled the baby from the bag.

"Stop." Bakugo said sharply to Todoroki.

"Ha?" Shouto mumbled quietly. Otaku couldn't pry his eyes away.

"Fucking stop the video." Katsuki said even sharper.

But Todoroki didn't stop it. It continued to show Bakugo pick up the baby and hold it awkwardly out, confused as all hell. Then slowly, he held the cold thing close...

He picked up a letter. He looked so scared...

"Fucking Half-n-half bastard! I told you to stop!" Katsuki shouted as he tried to close the laptop up.

"No. I think Otaku deserves to see-"

"We found shit, alright?! Now get that crap outta here!" He screamed, hands sizzling and popping with anger.

"If you are displeased with the video's outcome then that is entirely your doing-"

"_**RaaaAAAGH**_!" Bakugo snatched the computer off of Todoroki's lap and dashed it across the wall. It shattered and cracked into a million pieces.

Todoroki stood aggressively and got up into Bakugo's face.

"You can't hide from the past, Bakugo." He fumed.

"Don't show me that shit!"

"That won't change what you did."

"Hey guys! Calm down-" Otaku's words fell on deaf ears.

"I was stupid, okay?! I admit it! Now go shove your self righteous di-"

"You have attempted to ignore your actions ever since you made them. Did it cross your mind that it may have impacted more people than yourself?" Todoroki said with an air of righteous anger.

"Yeah, I fucked up Otaku's life! Thank you for your outstanding observations, now go eat my a-"

"Midoryia was there for you! He was never the same after you threw away your son to become the number one hero!" Shouto's hair was starting to catch fire, and his other hand poured out a cold cloud of steam. Bakugo was incredibly flustered, snapping his teeth at Todoroki and stuttering,

"I didn't- He- I didn't ask for- you-"

.

"Midoryia wanted to take in the boy! But he didn't because of you!"

.

Bakugo and Otaku's jaws dropped in combined shock.

Izuku... wanted to adopt Otaku?

Shocked, Todoroki realized what he had just said and covered his mouth,

"Forgive me. That was told to me in confidentiality..."

"Mr. Midoryia?" Otaku asked in awe. That man... he was very kind to him. He could've been his adopted dad?

But he didn't because of Bakugo?

"You... what?" Otaku looked to Bakugo with daggers in his eyes. "Wait, you... you stopped Mr. Midoryia from taking me in?!"

"No! Fuck, I didn't know he-" Bakugo was honestly surprised, "He wanted to adopt Otaku?"

"...He didn't want anything to come between you and his friendship." Todoroki said slowly, regretting saying anything at all.

"..." Katsuki stared at Shouto aghast. Otaku was shocked too, for obvious reasons.

"...Why didn't Deku just..."

"Like I said, he wanted to keep his friendship with you-"

"Well we can clearly see he and I's 'friendship' turned to shit!" Bakugo sank even harder onto the wall.

This... wasn't how he wanted things to end up.

Staring at Otaku with a sadness, Bakugo parted his mouth to say something, but he didn't know what to say.

He wished Deku upheld that threat to adopt Otaku.

But he didn't... because of him.

"That damned Deku! He should've taken Otaku in! Why the hell wouldn't he have?!"

"Imagine how you would've reacted at the time." Shouto said sternly.

"Who fucking cares how I would've reacted! He should've grown a pair and done what's right instead of-"

"Midoryia did what he thought was right. Did you?" Todoroki snapped, once more shocking himself.

Katsuki couldn't close his mouth as he attempted to grasp the weighty question. Did he do what he thought was right?

He turned to look at the speechless teenager in the windowsill. Otaku was bouncing his gaze between Bakugo and Todoroki as his jaw hung open. He felt awkward, being the subject of their arguing.

Groaning, Katsuki rubbed his headache and exhaled defeatedly,

"I wasn't sure what was right."

"What about now?"

Geez! What was up with these questions!? Todoroki really needed to lay off. Bakugo did promise to answer all his questions truthfully and quickly, but this was getting ridiculous!

"God! Stop it with this bullshit! I'm doing what I can, okay?! That's why I ended up dragging my ass to your office in the first place! Now are you gonna be any help to us or what, Icy Hot?!"

Todoroki pointed to his demolished laptop and sarcastically raised an eyebrow.

"Once I buy you a new laptop..." Bakugo embarrassingly diverted his sight to anything else.

"..." Despite being pissed off, Shouto understood how sensitive this situation was. He calmed himself the best he could. Yes, he was mad at Katsuki for all the places he fell short, but he could restrain himself, or at least try his best.

Maybe he just needed some time alone to regain his thoughts.

"You may repay me later. I have another laptop in my office." As Shouto left the apartment he turned and whispered, "I'll connect with you tomorrow morning, nine o'clock. _But understand this_: You are one outburst away from me abandoning your investigation."

"..." Bakugo pursed his lips and clenched his fists, but nodded silently. That was the agreement. "I get it..."

Todoroki gave a single nod and whispered,

"Tomorrow, then."

As Shouto closed the door behind him with a bitterness, Katsuki sighed defeatedly and looked into Otaku's eyes. They really were as big as Midoryia's. He... would've fit in well with their family.

Otaku inhaled like he was going to say something, but awkwardly put his finger down.

"What? You can say whatever it is." Katsuki said while grinding his teeth. It sure didn't look like Otaku could say whatever he wanted.

"Oh, umm... just... I'm hungry?" He shrugged.

"Fried rice?" Katsuki sighed as he gathered the things for the meal.

"Yeah. That sounds... nice..." Otaku was extremely awkward right now, and the air was tense. The things that Todoroki had said... they stung Bakugo more than he was showing, didn't they?

He made their meal in complete silence, and Otaku watched while he zoned out.

What would it have been like, being adopted by the Midoryias? He hadn't seen Mr. Midoryia's wife yet, but she was visiting their elderly family, so she must be nice. And Izuku was so kind as they did quirk discovery together. Their house was nice and their yard was great for his quirk. And sure, they didn't have internet, but his phone was broken anyways.

It was exactly the kind of family Otaku always hoped would take him in...

...The kind of family Bakugo always wished would take Otaku in.

As he put the rice into two bowls, Katsuki couldn't help but wonder if Deku and Ochaco were eating a freshly picked array of fruits and vegetables from their garden. That sounded strides better than this wilted chive and old egg fried rice.

"Thanks..." Otaku mumbled as Bakugo plopped the food in front of him. He flicked the rice a little bit with his chopsticks.

In the awkward silence before eating their meal, Katsuki huffed quietly,

"You... would've liked being a Midoryia."

"H-Huh?"

"...They're nice people."

Otaku could see that Katsuki was struggling, so he lent some advice he received earlier,

"You know, we, umm, shouldn't get caught up in the 'what if's'. You didn't mean to, I'm not mad at you."

Otaku said this very maturely, and it actually got Bakugo thinking for a moment. He shouldn't get caught up in the past, he needed to look at the now. The things that he could change for the better, now.

Otaku really would be better off with the Midoryia's.

Maybe it wasn't too late to fix this.

But he'll finish that thought tomorrow. He was tired.

"You comfortable on the couch? Want more cushions?"

"Oh, erm, a few more pillows would be nice."

"Kay. We'll clear out that shelf for your clothes."

"Sounds good."

For right now, Bakugo will take care of the kid the best he can. Until he can talk with the Midoryia's. But they still had a mission to accomplish, and despite having to work with that stuck-up, grudge-holding Canadian Flag, Katsuki was starting to feel... hopeful. With Todoroki's help tomorrow morning, they'll be able to find Otaku's mom in no time.

But little did he know...

...they weren't going to see Todoroki the next morning.

Nobody was.


End file.
